don't cry mercy (there's too much pain to come)
by Ariesgirl666
Summary: In 17th century Salem the witch hunt begins and Zatanna Zatara, the unmarried midwife who lives on her own, is the first suspect. Meanwhile Artemis Crock, the pastor's daughter, struggles with her feelings for said midwife in a town where being different can get you hung. Historical au!Snaibsel Rating may go up (if you want a specific ship to show up later on, drop me a review!)
1. leave me in chains

_Prologue_

 _"_ _You have to do something, Dad!" "There isn't anything I can do, Dick. I'm sorry," Goodman Wayne says, one hand on his son's back._

 _"_ _Dick. Don't. It's fine." Zatanna puts her arms around the dark-haired boy briefly before the baliff tugged her back, none too gently. Zatanna stumbles as she's pushed up the steps to the gallows. The hangman stands ahead of her, a black mask covering his face._

 _"_ _I am Zatanna Zatara," she whispers to herself. "I am my father's daughter. I will not cry."_

 _"What is she saying?" shouts a woman from the crowd.  
"Is she trying to cast a spell?"_

 _"Gag her!" shouts another man._

 _"_ _This is ridiculous!" Barbara Gordon shouts, her cheeks pink with fury. "Witches don't exist!"_

 _Mayor Luthor shouts for quiet. His eyes are not unsympathetic as he turns to Zatanna._

 _"Zatanna Zatara, you have been accused of being a witch, making a contract with the devil, and trying to corrupt an innocent girl. How do you plead?"_

 _She can barely hear herself as she whispers, "Guilty."_


	2. strip me of shame

A/N: This was inspired by watching the pilot episode of Salem. Zatanna is not a witch in this AU.

"We are fighting a war!" Pastor Crock says. "Not on the ground but in our very hearts and souls. The devil is in all of us, people of Salem, and it is our responsibility to wipe him out! I warn you now as God intends me to, we must be merciless in order to root out the devil inside us!"

"I'm sure God didn't intend him to spit this much," Dick Grayson murmurs into Zatanna's ear. She slaps her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"And of course, the sin of wanton lust," continues Pastor Crock, glaring openly at Dick. Dick nods solemnly, his mouth twitching with the effort to repress a smile.

Zatanna folds her hands over her gray skirts and doesn't meet Pastor Crock's eyes.

"What does he know about this stuff anyway?" Dick whispers. "He couldn't even save his own daughter from the Devil."

Everyone in Salem knows about Jade Crock, although her name is never spoken after she left Salem by herself in the middle of the night.

Zatanna glances sideways at where Pastor Crock's family sits in the first pew. His wife has her head bowed, but his remaining daughter, Artemis, fidgets uncomfortably in her pale green cotton dress.

* * *

After the service, Zatanna catches up to Artemis. "Good morning."

Artemis looks surprised to be addressed. "Uh, good morning. Do I know you?"

"Oh –sorry. I'm Zatanna Zatara, the midwife. I keep to myself, usually."

"Are you sure you want to associate with me?" Artemis asks dryly. Wisps of her summer-blond hair are tumbling out of her bonnet and framing her heart-shaped face. Zatanna has to resist the urge to tuck them back.

"I'm sorry about your sister," Zatanna says lamely.

"It's fine," Artemis says. "She wasn't really possessed by the Devil, you know."

"Does your father want you saying things like that?"

Artemis shrugs. "I doubt it. Are you going to tell him?"

"Of course not!"

"Good."

"Were you two close?" Artemis looks surprised at the genuine interest in Zatanna's question. "Yeah, we were," she says. "Between the two of us, I wish she'd taken me with her." "You'd want to leave Salem?"

It wasn't as though Zatanna hadn't thought about leaving herself –after her father died, it was hard making a living as the town's only female doctor. Dick had supported her until she started getting patients. But Salem was all she'd ever known. It was where her father had practiced, and his father before that.

"I hate it here," Artemis says. "Father just cares about what the rest of the town thinks of him. He's trying to marry me off quickly, but nobody wants the sister of a witch."

Gray eyes lighting up with an idea, Artemis turns. "Zatanna, how did you get away with not being married?" "Well, the mayor knows that I'm the only good midwife in town. He knows marriage would just inconvenience me."

"I could be a midwife if it got me out of being married," Artemis says, pouting adorably.

Zatanna laughs. "You would be a terrible midwife."

"How do you know?" Artemis makes a face like she's insulted, but she's laughing. "You just met me!"

"You have nervous hands," Zatanna explains. "You were fidgeting too much in church."

Artemis looks at Zatanna from under her eyelashes, suddenly sly. "You were watching me, then?"

Zatanna wishes she wasn't so pale, as her cheeks flare pink. She's saved from answering by a shout from Pastor Crock's father.

The two girls turn. Pastor Crock's arms are crossed and he glares at his daughter. "Come here, right now!" he bellows. Beside him, Artemis's mother looks like she wants to disappear into his shadow.

"Coming, Father!" Artemis shouts. "It was really nice to meet you, Zatanna."

"Oh –you can call me Zee. All my friends do," Zatanna offers, and then feels stupid because she doesn't really have very many friends other than Dick.

Artemis smiles. "Bye, Zee."

"Bye, Artemis."

Impulsively, Zatanna reaches out to fix Artemis's bonnet. Her hand touches Artemis's tanned cheek and instead of pulling away, the other woman smiles.

"Artemis, now!" Crock shouts.

Artemis turns and walks stiffly back towards her father, the levity gone from her gaze.

"Something wrong?" Dick asks in Zatanna's ear. She turns, startled. "You have got to stop sneaking up on me like that!"

He laughs.

"Dick…" Zatanna says, making sure to keep her voice low. "Can I ask you a question?"

He lowers his voice too. "Sure, Zee."

Zatanna thinks of Artemis Crock's heart shaped face and how smooth her skin is. "Nevermind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."


End file.
